Moonlight
by SparkyKnight
Summary: An emotionless, cold prince with an arranged married, an abandoned and abused village girl. One could have everthing lost, while the other has nothing to lose, both are in distressed. What should happen, when these two souls should meet?


I don't own Angelic Layer and never ever will. First try at an Angelic layer fic though, so please don't send any flames. Enjoy the fic and R and R please!! *******************************************************************  
  
"You little brat!! Get over here now!!"  
  
"I refused father!!"  
  
"Why you...."  
  
"Get away from me!! Stop!!!"  
  
"YOU ARE ABSOLUTELY USELESS YOU KNOW THAT!?"  
  
"That's...not true."  
  
"YOU CAN'T EVEN DO THE SIMPLEST TASKS!!"  
  
"JUST GO AWAY!!!"  
  
"I'll teach you not to shout at me!!"  
  
"NO!!!"  
  
If you passed by this house in a simple village in the kingdom of Angelic, the shouts and yells would not be uncommon, if you had lived here for as long as the people have. Though they hear it, out of the entire village, only a few wanted to help the poor child. As the father finished his daily rounds with the child, he walked out the door and slammed it behind him, leaving the young girl, lying there, motionless on the ground with bruises forming and a little blood on the floor. The girl weakly and slowly got up, coughing up bits of blood also. Knowing her father doesn't care one bit where she goes during the day's afternoons or mornings. She shakily opened the door and painfully walked out of the door. She moved her feet slowly, walking on the dirt road, the dirt crunching underneath her feet to a darkened house. Once there, she was fading into unconscious, as there was movement behind the door, and as she was about to faint, the door opened quickly and the child fell into the arms of the person behind the door.  
  
"Suzuka..." the child moaned in pain. The girl shook her head as she lifted the child up and set her on the extra bed, like every single night.  
  
"Oh Hikaru." sighed Suzuka, like she did every night.  
  
________________________________  
  
As morning came, the sunlight came through the open space in the curtains; it landed on the sleeping guest. She looked to be about sixteen, with her short wavy pink hair was spread all around the pillow as the clothes she wore were that of a village girl tomboy. Black pants a red top and a headband on the top of her head. She was still asleep, when Suzuka came in with the others.  
  
"She's been getting treatment like this for nearly seven years guys." said the dark skinned one.  
  
"But what are we suppose to do?" asked the light skinned one with long flowing blue hair and cold red eyes, " You know how stubborn she is, doesn't want us getting involved."  
  
"I know but let's just continue, but we have to seriously talk to Hikaru about this." stated the blond one.  
  
As Hikaru opened her eyes, they shone like pale rubies in the light. She suddenly squinted and then saw her friends.  
  
"Hey guys." Hikaru grinned weakly.  
  
The pale blue-haired one sighed and put her hands on her hips, in a motherly-like fashion.  
  
"I still don't understand why you still stay with that man you call a father." she stated bluntly.  
  
"Shirahime!!" shouted the others.  
  
"What!?" Shirahime cried out looking around, "You guys know it's true!!"  
  
"I stay because he managed to trick my mother. "Growled Hikaru. The others looked confused, as they stared at the angry ruby-eyed girl.  
  
"What do you he managed to trick you mom Hikaru?" asked Suzuka.  
  
"It was this contract my father tricked my mother into. She didn't know what it exactly meant, she thought it would help keep me safe and signed it, not really knowing that until my father is dead, I cannot leave him and he treats me like a damn slave." Hikaru spat out icily.  
  
"What a cruel man!!" shouted the tan one.  
  
"Shhh, Ranga, not so loud please!! We don't want people hearing a commotion in here." stated the pale blond. Ranga sighed.  
  
"You were the calm voice of reason Blanche." she said. Blanche smiled gently as she kneeled down and started to put Hikaru's new bandages on.  
  
"Arigato Blanche." Hikaru said.  
  
"Now, these aren't as bad as last time, you got lucky Hikaru." Blanche added finishing up the last of the bandages, as she stepped back and let Hikaru adjust herself.  
  
"Does that mean we can still go exploring by the forest lake?" asked Hikaru hopefully.  
  
Shirahime let out a small smile.  
  
"Okay Hikaru, but we are going to make sure you take it easy." She stated.  
  
"Aww man!!" grinned Ranga, draping her arm around Hikaru's shoulders in a friendly way.  
  
"That means we can't hide from the others in while we run away from them Hikaru-chan."  
  
Hikaru laughed with Ranga.  
  
"You two just got lucky last time." Stated Suzuka, in mock anger, but you could still see her smiling.  
  
"Okay, so we meet at mid-morning?" asked Blanche standing up.  
  
"Yup." replied Ranga, as she grabbed Hikaru's hand and they both walked out the door.  
  
"I'm glad Ranga treats Hikaru as a sister." Shirahime said, once the two were gone.  
  
"I know what you mean," added Suzuka. "If Hikaru didn't have us around, she wouldn't be the same person we know and love like family."  
  
"Although," Blanche suddenly spoke up, "there are rumors going around with the prince having a fiancée."  
  
"Really now?" said Shirahime raising a fine eyebrow, as the three of them were outside and the door was locked behind them.  
  
"Yeah, the rumors say he and someone are going from different villages to "examine" the other possible candidates." added Blanche. Suzuka looked confused.  
  
"But you just said he had a fiancée, why are people saying he's going around looking for other candidates?" she asked.  
  
"Because it was some promise his mother said," pointed out Blanche, "if he doesn't find a candidate by his 18th birthday, then he has to marry the arranged one."  
  
"Ah, I see. Here's where I have to do my stuff. I'll see you guys by the tree" said Suzuka as she walked off.  
  
"Bye Shirahime, I have to be at the doctor's side before I'm late." added Blanche running off.  
  
"*sigh* bye." sighed Shirahime, as she walked off.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
"Why do I put up with this gimmick." sighed a young man, on top of a horse through a path in the woods.  
  
"Because it's either doing this, or going back home to your soon-to-be wife and the preparations, AND the studies and..." the other on the horse next to the young man babbled on.  
  
"Alright, alright Vincent. You convinced me." sighed the other one sweat- dropping.  
  
"You asked my friend and I answered." Vincent replied.  
  
"Yes, whatever just make sure you have the cloaks ready BEFORE we enter the village," growled the young man, "I don't want to be swarmed again by any damn women."  
  
"Sorry!! Geez, I already apologized for it." Vincent said, but the young man was still growling.  
  
"Whatever, the next village should be coming up soon." stated the young man.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
"Yea!! I'm almost done." grinned Hikaru as she was skipping along and grinning. She managed to get the tree before any of the others did. She placed her basket in a knothole of the tree, as a sign that she was here. As she looked around the beautiful scenery, but something worried her. She felt that there was something amidst here.  
  
Hikaru looked around nervously, and strangely, spotted a young girl with short brown hair, watching her from behind a tree. As soon as they had made eye contact, the girl ran off.  
  
"Oh!! Hey wait up please!!!" shouted Hikaru as she ran after the girl, through the woods. She dodged trees, jumped over roots and bushes alike as she tried to catch up to the girl who seemed to go farther and farther away from her. She suddenly tripped on a stray root and fell down rather hard on her bruises.  
  
"Owie, now my arm hurts even more than it did before." moaned Hikaru, as she held her arm. She stood up but she soon fell back down when she heard some loud growling. Her head frantically looked around and she paled. A wolf had found her and it seemed rather familiar.  
  
"Oh no," Hikaru said frightened, "not again."  
  
~*~*Flashback~*~*~  
  
Little nine-year-old Hikaru was running. She had just run away after her father had beat her up rather badly and now a wolf was chasing her when she was walking into the forest to hide. She was running as fast as she could but the wolf was gaining on her. She reached a dead end of the lake, because she didn't know how to swim.  
  
"Someone please help me." whimpered Hikaru as she was crying and backing away.  
  
Suddenly the wolf then ran and then leaped at Hikaru, who screamed loudly,  
  
"NO!! SOMEBODY PLEASE!!!"  
  
As Hikaru closed her eyes and waited for the impact, nothing happened.  
  
"Huh?" wondered Hikaru as she looked up, she was too far away, but someone had pulled the wolf back and had stabbed it in the head, leaving a long scar and sending it away. She was suddenly feeling faint, from both the shock and the bruises she received, and as she was going to faint, someone caught her and she heard a voice,  
  
"Miss, are you alright?"  
  
"Hai, arigato for saving me." whispered Hikaru, entranced by the voice and going in and out of unconscious.  
  
"Where may I take you back home?"  
  
"The village on the outskirts of the forest on the western side, and a girl named Suzuka."  
  
"Alright, I'll take you there, little ruby."  
  
~*~*~*End of Flashback~*~*~*  
  
'I never did forget my savior's voice, but this is really deja vu,' thought Hikaru. She looked around and spotted a fallen tree branch. 'I can't really hope that the guy will show up again, so time to put those lessons Suzuka and Shirahime gave me to good use.' as she held the branch in front of her and held her ground. Just like last time the wolf charged at her and leaped. Hikaru held the branch in front of her and the wolf bit on to the branch, and Hikaru kicked it in the face. It backed up and growled again.  
  
"Come on you stupid wolf!!, I'm not the same as last time you hear!!" shouted Hikaru, then something else caught her attention, another growl behind her. She turned and found another wolf, and she back towards another tree. While she was distracted, the wolf bit again into the branch and shattered it, leaving Hikaru defenseless.  
  
"Ahh!!" shouted Hikaru as the broken pieces of wood, pierced into her skin, and into her already wounded arms and torso.  
  
"Crap, now I'm too weak to fight, even with the pain." she muttered. The two wolves were closing in  
  
Hikaru suddenly remember something that Shirahime had told her.  
  
'It's not over until you can't move at all, if you can still move, than you still have a fighting chance, you just have to think a bit.'  
  
'Think, think, think, what was I taught?' Hikaru thought hurriedly as the two wolves were coming closer and pushing the stones away, rolling away.  
  
'rolling? That's it!!' grinned Hikaru as she got into a fight pose and then dashed towards the wolves, they saw her coming towards them and the closest one leaping forward.  
  
"TAKE THIS!! ROLLING THUNDER!!" and Hikaru pulled off the move that Suzuka had only done once.  
  
The wolf took the full blunt of the attack and went crashing through several trees. Hikaru looked with anticipation that the wolf was gone, and then she suddenly remembered the other wolf when she just barely dodged an attack.  
  
"Okay, I don't think I can pull another one of that attack, so think, what others did you see?" Hikaru muttered to herself as she was dodging the attacking wolf.  
  
'I can't get close, this wolf is a little too fast, so now what?' Hikaru thought, as she stood in front of a tree. Suddenly she felt a breeze gently blowing through her short pink hair.  
  
'wind...wind!! That's it, that you Ranga!!'  
  
Hikaru stood where she was and as the wolf ran at her, Hikaru started swinging her legs in a fast momentum, which she finally managed to pull of Ranga's air attack.  
  
The wolf was dazed as Hikaru kept attacking it over and over again, and the wolf had finally gotten enough and finally ran off. Hikaru fell to the ground on her legs.  
  
"Geez, my legs feel like iron." She said and was suddenly sleepy. "Maybe, I'll just take a little nap right.here." and she fell asleep against a tree.  
  
There was some rustling through the woods and two figures had come out.  
  
"Are you sure it was this way?" stated the young one. Vincent shook his head.  
  
"It's the only path that leads to the forest lake and right to the village.  
  
"Hey Vincent do you see someone?" asked the young man as he trotted his horse next to Vincent's'. He nodded and pointed to where Hikaru laid. The young man looked at her and saw the bruises and the dirt marks and decided to take her to the village with them. She was still asleep, except was leaning on the guy's chest.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
"Any sign of her yet?" asked Blanche running back. Suzuka and Shirahime shook their heads.  
  
"I don't understand, we searched the entire village, but no one seems to know where she is." Stated Shirahime worried.  
  
"You guys don't think she ran off into the woods again?" asked Ranga coming up. The other three looked at her. "It's possible isn't it?"  
  
Blanche pointed out, "If you think about it, really it's the only logical explanation for her disappearance."  
  
"Fine, Suzuka and Blanche go east while Ranga, you and I will look north alright?" stated Shirahime. But before they were able to leave, some sounds were coming from the forest and saw two people riding the horses and one of them had.  
  
"AHH!! HIKARU-CHAN!!" shrieked all the other girls, as they ran towards the guy with her and Suzuka lifted her to her back.  
  
As Suzuka, carried Hikaru off, Ranga grabbed the stuff from the knot hold in the tree, and bowed towards the men and ran off to catch up to Suzuka.  
  
Shirahime and Blanche were about to run off, but Blanche said,  
  
"Thank you very much for finding Hikaru."  
  
Then the two ran off, leaving the guys confused.  
  
"So her name's Hikaru." stated the young man, and then he turned to leave.  
  
"Wha? Hey, what about the other village girls?" shouted Vincent as he geared his horse.  
  
"Don't worry. Besides I know what I'm doing." Grinned the young man.  
  
"Feh, whatever' yah say." Grumbled Vincent.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
It was later in the evening that Hikaru had woken up and when she saw the time she ran out of the house before any of the others knew. She ran as fast as he legs would carry her, her hair blowing in the breeze. She didn't see any of the candle's lit, so she quietly snuck in and was about to go into her room when a voice hissed out,  
  
"So, where have you been brat?"  
  
Hikaru froze and turned around as one of the oil lamps was lit and her father's sneering stare as she stared into his cold brown eyes.  
  
"So you think you can get away from me huh, THIS'LL TEACH YOU LITTLE PUNK!!" and he took a wooden stick and started hitting Hikaru, and she wasn't able to defend herself through out the "punishment" and he started kicking and punching her again.  
  
"Stop.father.onegai." moaned Hikaru as she spat out blood.  
  
"Heh, this'll finish you, and before I kill you, you should know something about your mom." He sneered as he grabbed a fistful of Hikaru's hair and yanked her up, he then whispered,  
  
"You were never my real child, just some adopted little thing and your mother was nothing more than a plaything and I enjoyed killing her."  
  
Suddenly Hikaru's eyes shot opened at that statement and she screamed,  
  
"QUIET YOU FREAKIN' B*****D!!!" and Hikaru's eyes dilated and she suddenly formed something in her hands and it grew larger and larger and it was release quickly and engulfed her entire house.  
  
The explosion awoke frightened villagers as they saw the burning house. People started throwing water on it, until they saw something coming out of it. It walked limply out of the fire, as if it wasn't even touched by it and left the burning house. It was Hikaru, she had only small burns, while the house was incinerated.  
  
"What..what just happened?" stumbled Hikaru as she fell to her knees as she saw her home. Villagers assumed it was Hikaru's fault that this seemed to be a sign of a curse and started to yell and shout things at her.  
  
"You.you monster!!" shouted one village man.  
  
"Go away!! You bring curse to our only home!!!" shouted a woman.  
  
"Get out of here, you.you."  
  
Soon they stopped verbally yelling at her and started throwing rocks and sticks at her, Hikaru could only raise her arms to block her face as she started silently crying, as the items hit her.  
  
"THAT'S QUITE ENOUGH!!!"  
  
Everything stopped and Hikaru looked to see who had shouted. It was her friends. Ranga was the first to reach her and held out her arm to help Hikaru up, which she smiled as best as she could and stood up.  
  
"Lady Shirahime!! Lady Suzuka!! Why do you side with that curse bringer!?"  
  
"Because she is like daughter to me and I won't have anyone making threats to her without going through us first!!" shouted Shirahime.  
  
"She's been the only really sister to me, Blanche and Ranga!!" added Suzuka. She picked up Hikaru and she noticed that Ranga, Shirahime and Blanche had one traveling clothes and bags. Soon they walked out of the village, hoping to never see it again. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
"Do you guys know what you sacrificed?" cried Hikaru. Blanche smiled up her as they were walking.  
  
"Those aren't worth as much to us as you are Hikaru-chan." She said.  
  
"Yeah, besides, we planned this a long time ago when you were just starting getting beaten up." Added Ranga.  
  
"And we'll stick by you no matter what little one." Shirahime said.  
  
"Yes now, we just have to get to the next town and find a job there." Stated Suzuka.  
  
"Okay." Replied the others.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
"So far nothing. No body wants to take in five girls at once." Sighed Shirahime as she talked to Ranga.  
  
"Ditto. The only jobs I found were really crappy and not very well paid." She added. Hikaru was just quietly drinking while Blanche and Suzuka looked for jobs. They suddenly bursts in with good-news.  
  
"We found a job that'll accept the five of us!!" grinned Blanche.  
  
"Although it's mostly maid work, the pay is good." Added Suzuka.  
  
"Alright, where is it?" asked Hikaru finishing up her drink.  
  
"Let's just go and we'll show you." Sweat dropped Blanche and Suzuka as they led the others. Soon they arrived at..  
  
"THE PALACE!?"  
  
"It was the only place!!" shouted Blanche.  
  
"But why here!! You know those damn laws they enforced don't exactly have us jumping for joy!!" added Ranga.  
  
"It's decent at least." Stated Shirahime.  
  
"I guess we have no choice." Sighed Hikaru, as she and the others walked in.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"Okay, here are your quarters, you Miss. Ranga and Miss. Hikaru will share the left one and the other three will share the right one." Said the advisor.  
  
"Yes ma'am." All of them said.  
  
"One more thing, we're having a dinner with another family and I need Ranga in the kitchens, with Shirahime, Suzuka tends to the guests and Blanche with decorations, and that leaves Hikaru with getting the food out with the other servants and setting the table out. Is that clear?" she asked.  
  
"Hai."  
  
"Good, now change and get to work ladies, We want to make a good impression." She stated as she left.  
  
A few minutes later, when it was just Ranga and Hikaru walking towards the dinning room and the kitchen.  
  
"Are you sure this is a good idea?" asked Ranga as she tugged on the apron.  
  
"I don't really mind, let's just hope we can do this." Grinned Hikaru.  
  
"Okay Kitchens this way and dinning rooms that way, bye Hikaru-chan, see you later!!" grinned Ranga as she ran off. Hikaru giggled and then opened the doors to the dinning room, as she looked around she found the plates she was suppose to set up and started getting to work. Once she was done, she noticed she had bit of time left before the dinner actually started.  
  
"Ranga!! I'll be back in a few, I'm gonna check out those gardens I saw earilier!!" Hikaru shouted into the kitchen. Ranga waved her hand and Hikaru ran off. She went through many hallways, and got a little confused, but managed to make it to the gardens. She slowed her pace and walked around admiring the view, when she didn't noticed some one in front of her and crashed into it.  
  
"Whoa!!" she shouted as she was about to fall on to the ground, but the figure caught her.  
  
"Are you alright miss?"  
  
'That voice, it sounds just like him.' Thought Hikaru. She finally managed to get a good look at him as she stood up straight.  
  
"Umm, hi?" started Hikaru, the guy looked to be about her age.  
  
"Hi, do I know you from some where?" he asked.  
  
It was complete silence for them until the boy finally realized who was in front of him.  
  
"Little Ruby?"  
  
"What!? That.how did you know that!? There was only one guy who ever called me that!!" shouted Hikaru scared.  
  
"You were nine and you ran off into the woods and ended up being chased by a wolf, and you saw someone save you right, and right before you fainted the person called you, 'little Ruby' for your eyes." Replied the boy.  
  
"It really is you." said Hikaru as she stepped closer to him and stared into the depts. Of his eyes.  
  
"You know my name, but what is yours?" asked Hikaru.  
  
"...Wizard. My name is Wizard, prince of Angelic." ***************************************************************** End of first chapter. 


End file.
